Three-piece South Korean indie rock, indie pop band Wave To Earth performed their debut Brisbane show to a full house on Friday night as part of their much anticipated 0.03 world tour.
Members Daniel Kim (guitarist, lead vocalist), Dong Q (drummer) and John Cha (bassist), along with session member Jeon-min (saxophonist, guitarist), expertly crafted an intimate and dreamlike atmosphere onstage, leaving the sold out venue of adoring fans in awe (5 December).
The excitement was palpable before the doors even opened, as the queue to get into The Fortitude Music Hall stretched down and around the corner, looping through several streets and buzzing with eager chatter.
It was clear from the jump fans were passionate and extremely keen to finally witness the band's charismatic performances live. The venue was packed to the rafters by the time show opener, Chinese-Canadian singer Yung Kai, stepped onstage.
He was met with enthusiastic cheers as he performed his soulful, seven-song set, which included an unreleased track, 'For You'. He rounded off his part of the show with his hit single 'Blue', the song he said "completely changed [his] life," and in a heartwarming ending, threw flowers for fans to keep as a memento.
Yung Kai - image © Selena Oung
Before leaving the stage he made sure to hype us up for the main act, receiving a roaring response to his question: "Are you ready for Wave To Earth?" 'Ready' didn't even begin to describe the passionate anticipation of fans as the whole venue vibrated with excitable energy.
The audience's cheers increased in volume as the lights dimmed and the shadows of the band members making their way onstage could be made out. The atmosphere was electric from the very first chord as the band kicked off their show with their song 'Are You Bored?'.
In one of their short talking segments, the members expressed their wish for fans to get the most out of the experience: "[We] hope you guys take great memories from here because we always do our best onstage, we're ready to give you [our] all."
Wave To Earth - image © Selena Oung
Give us their all they certainly did. There were multiple guitar, bass, drum, and saxophone solos, and transitions throughout the show that captivated the audience and gave each member their chance to shine.
The passion the band feel towards their music, their instruments and their craft echoed in the way they confidently graced the stage. The 15-song set list showcased the band's diversity within their signature, jazz-infused dreamy sound as they had fun with more upbeat and vibrant songs like 'Play With Earth!' and 'Surf.', and poured soulful passion into more floaty, melancholic tracks such as 'Homesick' and 'Slow Dive'.
Wave To Earth - image © Selena Oung
Hit songs 'Love', 'Seasons', and 'Bad', the latter of which is my personal favourite, were received with heightened enthusiasm as we all passionately accompanied Daniel in singing the choruses.
The concert was full of wholesome moments of togetherness as fans swayed along to the music, held their friends' hands, waved their arms, and bopped their heads in unison.
Throughout the show the lighting cycled through white, blue, red and orange hues, with each colour carefully chosen to match the vibe of specific songs. The members told their fans they would "never forget tonight," and expressed their wish for us to "enjoy until the very end," a request which was definitely fulfilled by everyone in the room as we all moved along under pink lighting to the aptly named encore songs: 'Pink Horizon' and 'Pink'.
Wave To Earth - image © Selena Oung
Wave To Earth didn't just interact with their fans, they fully immersed them in the dreamlike feelings their music and performances evoke. The raw emotion conveyed through the instruments, lyrics, and Daniel's voice further nurtured the healing atmosphere that we had been wrapped up in since the show began.
The band parted the stage with promises to return soon, leaving their Brisbane fans with a newfound sense of anticipation and a collection of fond and unforgettable memories.
- written by Georgia Mason
